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The Stop Online Piracy Act upsets Google & Wikipedia

By sjr4x4 : Administrator

Published 18th January 2012 |

Read latest comment - 21st January 2012

For anyone that hasn't heard or noticed, Wikipedia (English Language Version) has blocked its home page in a 24 hour protest, and Google.com is displaying a "please don't censor the web" link on it's home page.

All the fuss is about the proposed bills going through the American Congress to try and stop online piracy and protect intellectual property.

All very worthwhile causes, but Wikipedia and Google amongst plenty others say the Congress are going about it the wrong way and this will actually have a huge impact for everybody.

To read the full in's and outs of of this, both wikipedia and google have respective pages dedicated to this:
SOPA and PIPA - Learn more - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/sopa-pipa/

So what does anyone else think? Is this a US issue, or is their a real fear this could be rolled out by governments across the world?

Just shows how hard it is to legislate and police something that doesn't really have any real geographic boundaries!

Steve Richardson
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  Name: Dreamraven
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Dreamraven : Forum Moderator
18th January 2012 11:55 AM

WP ha a similar blackout going for those that decided to protest as well. There is a lot of speculation going on about the fact that the bill could impact foreign online business between other countries and the US. The fact that they mention that the government can close a site down without any notice kinda scares me.

There is a bit of info here as well if you would like to read : black out

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sdh1234
19th January 2012 8:20 AM

On the surface, the Bill is talking about copyright infringement, protecting IP etc. But in actual fact, not only will this Bill allow the Government to block out "inappropriate" websites, and web contents. This Bill will also give the government almost complete power to dictate what is appropriate and inappropriate on the Internet.

Closing down a website may not be possible right now. But the immediate impact would be restrictive Internet access. But closing down a website or taking down any web content at freewill may be possible in the future, shall this Bill be passed.

It's more like "Propaganda on a Global scale" in disguise

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Dreamraven : Forum Moderator
20th January 2012 6:21 AM

“The scheme is largely targeted at foreign websites which do not recognize US law, and which therefore will often refuse to comply with takedown requests. But the potential for abuse—even inadvertent abuse—here is astonishing, given the terrifically outsized stick with which content owners can now beat on suspected infringers.”

That alone can cause chaos. Competitors that turn nasty because your product is not only better, but more popular? The marketers from the netherworld would have a field day with this.

“In the request for the report, we can also see the IP maximalist lobby preparing for its next move: shutting off access to US capital markets and preventing companies from "offering stock for sale to the public" in the US.”

Don't think that needs any explanation really. What it all really seems to boil down to is that they want to control everything and anything on the web, not just the sites that have been targeted for giving away pirated software.

These quotes come from the site earlier mentioned, and I do think that there is a copy of the bill that you can read through yourself attached? not sure.

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BoBo_184 : Growing Business
21st January 2012 2:49 PM

i guess it's like the idea behind freedom of speech, you can't really censor it and it is virtually impossible to control what people say in their own time, in their own space, to the people around them...

internet is kinda like that, it is a space for people to express themselves

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